STAFF REPORTSBUCKHANNON — Former state Sen. Robert Karnes (R) has launched two advertisements criticizing Sen. Bill Hamilton (R), focusing on a 2022 voting rights bill that restored eligibility for convicted felons after release from incarceration.
In the ads, Karnes claims Hamilton “sponsored legislation allowing child rapists like Jeffrey Epstein to vote while serving their sentence” and accused him of “put[ting] felons before West Virginia’s kids.” Karnes cited Senate Bill 488, which Hamilton led as sponsor during the 2022 legislative session.
The measure amended West Virginia Code §3-2-2, addressing voter eligibility for individuals convicted of felonies. Prior to the change, individuals were disqualified from voting while serving their sentence, including periods of incarceration, probation or parole. The bill revised that language to specify that a person “is not eligible to register or to continue to be registered to vote while serving his or her sentence, including any period of incarceration.”
The legislation further states that “upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction either through pardon, parole, probation, or completion of sentence without further action required of him or her, the person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote.”
Supporters of such measures have argued they help reintegrate individuals into society after incarceration by restoring civic participation. Critics, including Karnes, have argued the policy weakens accountability for serious crimes.
Hamilton has not publicly responded to Karnes’ latest advertisements.
Karnes is running against incumbent Sen. Bill Hamilton and Jack Reger, a Buckhannon City Councilman and former assistant superintendent for Upshur County Schools, in the Republican Primary for State Senate in District 11.
